I worked for an American branch of a Japanese company up until a few days ago. I worked full-time for $17/hr in Southern California, where gas is now $5+ a gallon and the housing market has skyrocketed in the past few months. The same 1b plan I live in for new tenants is over $2500 per month and houses are selling for a over a million.
I'm lucky that I'm able to live with my parent or else I would need 4+ roommates to survive here with the rising COL. My old job refused any sort of remote work and my responsibilities were increasing significantly and my wage was not reflecting that. I literally could not afford to live closer to work since I worked in one of the most desirable cities to live in in the entire country. It's so expensive!
I found a new job that pays enough to cover inflation and is hybrid remote so I can save some gas money. When I attempted to negotiate with my former boss about a matching raise, she said that only 2-3% is typical and it was impossible for me to ask what my new job was offering. She said that she was surprised that I was asking when no one else did. All but 2 other people who worked with me are in their 40's-60's who have houses here!
Due to “disloyalty” and how my work was never up to their expectations (mind you I do work in English, Japanese and Spanish) if I chose to stay, I wouldn't have been given any other tasks or I wouldn't be eligible for company bonuses since I was a flight risk. She even told me that a 2 weeks notice wasn't necessary since my job wasn't urgent enough to fill. So I just left the same day and signed the new offer.
I start in a few days. I'm taking a well deserved break to myself now! Also my former job is posted on Indeed as “urgently hiring” with the same rate of pay I was making. So much for not needing me!
This sub was right, job hopping is truly the only way to see a significant increase in income.